Larry Closs's Blog, page 5
March 11, 2012
March 8, 2012
Beatitude: The Chelsea Station Review
Anthony R. Cardno, who recently interviewed me for his Rambling On literary site, has just reviewed Beatitude in Chelsea Station, the new literary magazine edited and published by the tireless—and tirelessly creative—Jameson Currier.
"I felt utterly drawn in," writes Cardno. "By the end of the book, I felt like I'd made two new friends in Harry and Jay."
You can read the full review, in addition to amazing new fiction, poetry, articles and other reviews, in the latest issue of Chelsea...
March 7, 2012
The Rambling On Interview
Author, literary blogger and book reviewer Anthony Cardno of Rambling On recently chatted with me at length about Beatitude—my upcoming first reading on Jack Kerouac's birthday (March 12), the influence of Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and the Beat Generation, how two previously unpublished poems by Ginsberg came to appear in the novel, what it's like to be published by an independent press and the most heartening response an author can ever receive.
You can read the full interview here.
March 3, 2012
Movin’ on Up!
I stumbled upon the first sign for my reading at Barnes & Noble by accident when I went to the restroom at the store just before another author’s reading. There it was, right between the doors marked Men and Women. I had to laugh, though Lou Pizzitola, who organizes the readings, assured me that it’s a heavily trafficked location. Now there are twosigns, in even more prominent locations: One at the top of the escalator and one in the store window. Next stop: A deluxe apartment in the sky. For...
Movin' on Up!
I stumbled upon the first sign for my reading at Barnes & Noble by accident when I went to the restroom at the store just before another author's reading. There it was, right between the doors marked Men and Women. I had to laugh, though Lou Pizzitola, who organizes the readings, assured me that it's a heavily trafficked location. Now there are two signs, in even more prominent locations: One at the top of the escalator and one in the store window. Next stop: A deluxe apartment in the...
March 2, 2012
Birthday Beatitude for Jack Kerouac
March 12, the date of my first Beatitude reading, is Jack Kerouac's birthday! The timing was a total coincidence, but, really, as Beatitude asks, is anything ever a coincidence? In honor of the big day, I'll be reading an appropriate excerpt from Beatitude, in which Kerouac and his fellow Beats figure. Jack, pictured here in his official U.S. Naval Reserve photo in 1946, would have been 90.
My reading is Monday, March 12, 7 p.m., at Barnes & Noble, 82nd and Broadway, NYC.
February 29, 2012
On the Road: The Movie Poster
The official movie poster for the big screen adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road—which features prominently in my own novel, Beatitude—has finally been released.
The movie stars Sam Riley as OTR's narrator, Sal Paradise (Jack Kerouac), Garrett Hedlund as Sal's best friend, Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady), and Kristen Stewart as Dean's first wife, Marylou (Luanne Henderson). Also in the cast are Viggo Mortenson as Old Bull Lee (William S. Burroughs), Amy Adams as Jane (Joan...
February 13, 2012
"A warm, uplifting and hopeful story"
"I very much enjoyed reading this touching exploration of an imbalanced friendship/unrequited romance," writes Jennifer M. of Books, Personally in her review of Beatitude. "And while it is not a happy ending in the romantic sense of 'happily ever after,' it is a happy ending in that it celebrates love however it comes."
Her conclusion? "I found Beatitude to be a warm, uplifting and hopeful story, recommended for contemplative readers who enjoy a thoughtful story infused with the spirit of...
January 29, 2012
Beatitude Author Blog Tour 2012: An Appreciation
Authors need friends and supporters to help get the word out about their books, especially authors whose books are published by independent presses, like me. I could never have imagined when I sent Lori Hettler a galley of Beatitude what would happen next. Lori is the super-human force behind The Next Best Book Club & Blog and she is super-supportive of indie authors. Beatitude struck a chord. "An exceptionally well-written debut that explores love in all its varied forms, dissecting what it ...
January 27, 2012
Beat Dreams Are Made of This
Beat scholar and aficionado Dave Moore of Bristol, England, has put together a collection of novels inspired by the life and work of Jack Kerouac and included Beatitude in the mix, along with a dozen others. You can see the full collection here.
Moore runs the Jack Kerouac Facebook group and his Beat credentials are impressive: Author of numerous articles about the Beats, he was also founding editor and publisher of The Kerouac Connection magazine (1984-2000), editor of Neal Cassady...
